As Liberty Dies
by ZekksGoddess
Summary: The second the words had been spoken, a great fear he hadn’t known existed awoke from within the depths of his soul... Order 66 Vignette


**_As Liberty Dies  
_By: Jaina Elessar**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything…same as usual, please don't sue.**  
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**Timeframe: **RotS, the Jedi Purge.

**Summary:** Ki-Adi Mundi, a member of the Jedi Council meets his fate at the hands of the Clone Troopers.**  
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**Characters:** Ki-Adi Mundi, clone troopers**  
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**Genre:** angst, drama**  
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**AN:** This isa response to the Order 66 Challenge over on JC, hope you all enjoy!

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"_There's a time to stand and the time is now or never  
A time to fly, time to let go forever  
A time to grow, and a time to discover  
Life is precious, every second"_

_-Martina McBride_

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The second the words had been spoken, a great fear he hadn't known existed awoke from within the depths of his soul. He could sense it, a shaking feeling of…_wrongness_, for lack of a better word, that refused to leave him. It crawled up his spine, and he had to stop himself from shuddering.

The phrase seemed to hold a deadly threat within it, and Ki-Adi-Mundi was reminded of an old Jedi tale they'd been told so long ago, when he'd been merely a youngling, in which someone- the name escaped him, now- who'd been delivered a thermal detonator, disguised within deceitful wrappings of the brightest, cheeriest colors.

"_It will be done, my master."_

He forced the words to the back of his mind, forced himself to ignore them, forced himself to believe that they meant nothing. But it puzzled him…how could words manage to sound as sinister as those six did?

And…where had their order come from in the first place? He was in charge, here. The order should have come from no one else. He could almost feel it as his heart sank from his chest.

A frown crept across his pale, whiskered face as he turned his large, domed head slowly to the left, attempting to catch a glimpse of the masked men behind him in the corner of his eye.

Turning fully around to face them, he saw their blasters…pointed at him. He had the perfect view down six or seven of the weapons, and he quickly turned his gaze up to the men that held them. They'd become something akin to comrades in the long months they'd spent together, but the moment Ki-Adi's eyes found them, he realized they were no longer men. No, now they were cold, hard, warriors. They had served alongside him and numerous other Jedi for so long, and now they felt nothing as they raised their blasters to him. He could see the lack of emotion in their eyes, the hard edge of battle that rested there, and it frightened him.

His first emotion was anger, and a look of betrayal crossed his face. Anger at being betrayed like this, by people he had come to trust as _friends…_anger at realizing the clone army must have been ordered by the very Sith Lord determined to bring the Jedi down. Anger that the Sith Lord was undoubtedly out there, somewhere in the galaxy at that very moment, probably amusing himself with running the murders of each Jedi through his evil, twisted mind.

Through the Force, he felt a sudden surge of pain. Pain so profound, that he had to fight to remain standing. He reached out through the Force, seeking comfort…solace…perhaps even answers, but he found nothing. Pain consumed him, and he knew…he could feel it. This was happening all over the galaxy…each tiny flame of warmth, each small spark within the vast expanses of the Force was being extinguished, one by one.

The Force was empty and cold…filled only with mourning and the harsh reminder of so many lost lives.

Raising his cool gray eyes to meet those of the Commander, he embraced his anger, let it fuel, allowed it to grow. Then, when it reached a point so great that the Dark Side beckoned him, tempting him to strike viciously against the traitorous clones, he let it go. As simple as that, he let it go and gave himself fully into the Force.

Ki-Adi Mundi, Jedi Master and member of the Jedi Council, knew that it was his time. He knew there was no time left, but reached for his lightsaber anyway. The motion never fell through. Instead, laser blasts from the creatures ravaged his body, tearing into him, each one taking a part of his life.

The Jedi Master's eyes turned to the sky, and he fell. It seemed to take eons to land. All conscious thought slowly oozed away from him.

His grey, dying eyes stared up into the dark, brown, uncaring ones of a trooper that loomed far above him…so far above, and the chilling words that meant the end of his world ran through his mind a final time, the last thing Ki-Adi Mundi would ever hear.

_"It will be done, my master."_


End file.
